THE HOLLYWOOD BLUE FLAMES "SOUL SANCTUARY" Source: Blues in Britain Date: 11/2005 Writer: Mick Rainsford

Delta Groove Productions are building a fine catalogue of West Coast Blues recordings, as highlighted by the CDs under review here. One, a live follow-up from the Mannish Boys, to their impressive ‘That Represent Man’; the second a reincarnation of the Hollywood Fats Band, featuring Al Blake; the third, a wonderful set from the vastly under-appreciated harmonica virtuoso, Mitch Kashmar.

“Live & In Demand” was recorded live at the 19th Annual Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival (July 17th 2005), The Mannish Boys, fluctuating line-up, featuring Finis Tasby, Kid Ramos, Leon Blue, Franck Goldwasser, Randy Chortkoff, Tom Leavey, Johnny Dyer and Richard Innes, all acknowledged masters of West Coast blues.

The set opens with Ramos in great form on the rocking instrumental ‘Kid’s Jump’, before he lays down some typically tough and brooding licks on Muddy’s ‘I’m Ready’, where Chortkoff’s “dirty” harp and vocals transform this classic into a tribute to the late great Lester Butler. Leon Blue’s stomping piano and hard-core blues vocals fire the jumping R&B of Tampa Red’s ‘She Wants To Sell My Monkey’, before Johnny Dyer takes centre-stage reprising his recent ‘Rolling Fork Revisited’ set with three Muddy numbers.

Dyer captures the essence of Muddy’s blues to perfection, without resorting to slavish imitation. The band locks into a menacing groove on ‘Mannish Boy’ and ‘You’re Sweet’, with both Chortkoff and Dyer laying down some mean and lowdown harp on the former and latter respectively. Goldwasser comes into his own on ‘Howling Wolf’ with some vicious slide that mirrors the brooding intensity of Dyer’s vocals. Suffice to say that this is as close as you will get to Muddy without actually playing one of his records.

The last six tracks feature the vocals of Finis Tasby, who is finally being recognized as one of the finest blues singers working the blues circuit today. Tasby opens up in great form with Jimmy Anderson’s ‘Goin’ Crazy Over T.V.’, the band locking into a vibrant groove as Chortkoff’s high register harp and Ramos’ tantalizing guitar retain the originals swamp blues roots. This is followed by a churning rendition of ‘Mystery Train’, Tasby testifying to great effect over Ramos’ greasy string bending and Chortkoff’s wailing harp; before Tasby takes Freddie King’s ‘It’s Too Bad’, deep down in the alley accompanied by Goldwasser’s muscular guitar and Blue’s rolling piano.

Other highlights include Jimmy Wilson’s ‘Strangest Blues’, where Ramos’ wild and piercing guitar echoes the intensity of Tasby’s vocals, and Albert King’s ‘As The Years Go Passing By’, where Ramos’ shimmering guitar weeps in sympathy as Tasby “cries’ out his blues. But in truth – every track is a gem.

This is the blues – just buy!

The Hollywood Blue Flames are a reincarnation of the Hollywood Fats Band featuring Al Blake, Fred Kaplan, Larry Taylor and Richard Innes, with Kirk Eli Fletcher superbly taking Michael Mann’s coveted guitar slot.

As you would expect, from such a talented group of musicians, this set oozes class – from the opening instrumental, ‘Flambed’, a swinging slab of 50’s West coast R&B replete with hot piano and flirtatious guitar, to ‘You’re Sweet’, Blake’s acoustic duet with Kim Wilson, where harp and guitar mesh seamlessly as they, magnificently, underpin Blake’s lascivious vocals – you are left in no doubt that that this is what Smokey Wilson would describe as “the real deal”.

One of the identifying features of the Fats Band was Al Blake’s raucous harp and declamatory vocals, both of which are here in abundance. Just listen to ‘The Land Of Calio’, a downhome blues given a Sonny Boy Trumpet feel by Blake’s wonderful harp and Innes’ sparse “trash-can” drumming”; whilst the spectre of George Smith is raised on ‘Coco Puffin’’, a brooding blues replete with jazz inflected organ, tantalizing guitar and evocative, laid-back vocals.

Fred Kaplan’s virtuosity is in evidence throughout this set, his barrelhouse piano rumbling ominously in sympathy with Fletcher’s deep blues fretwork and Blake’s “in the alley” vocals on St Louis Jimmy’s ‘Soon Forgotten’. The Roosevelt Sykes influenced ‘My National Inquirer Baby’, with it’s juke-joint piano and booming vocals, and the infectious ‘Big Foot Boogie’, where he recreates the aura of past boogie masters, offer further evidence of his undoubted talent.

Lowdown harp and piano along with evocative guitar, conjure up the vision of a smoky, back-street New Orleans bar in the early hours of the morning on ‘Soul Sanctuary’, whilst the same instruments transport the listener to Chicago in the mid-50s on ‘I’m A Lucky, Lucky Man’

What can I say? – I just love it!

Mitch Kashmar has long been recognized by his peers as an acknowledged harp-meister – a point he proves unreservedly on ‘Nickels & Dimes’, his most fulfilling and accessible CD to date.

Kashmar is joined on this set by some of the cream of the West Coast blues scene – led by Jr. Watson along with Ronnie James Weber, Richard Innes and Bob Welsh – all artists steeped in tradition.

The set opens with ‘Dirty Deal’, a classic West Coast/Chi-Town hybrid with strong George Smith overtones – Kashmar’s naturally blue vocals and high register harp complemented to perfection by Welsh’s rolling piano and Watson’s deep blues guitar. George Smith comes to mind again on the funky ‘Nickels & Dimes’, a blues enhanced by moody piano and wildly eccentric guitar.

Kashmar’s harp swings out in great style on ‘New York Woman’, his tone and phrasing bringing Big Walter to mind, Kaplan boogying as the band rock’n’rolls. Watson is at his wildest on ‘Getting’ Drunk’, Kashmar’s compelling vocals matched by Kaplan’s rumbling piano; ‘Becky Ann could be a vintage Muddy song, Kashmar’s somber Nighthawk styled vocals and moody harp complemented by Kaplan’s Spannesque piano; and I could just imagine Nighthawk singing ‘Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman’ as Kaplan’s piano rolls and Watson melds the influences of both Nighthawk and Willie Johnson.

Like all great players, Kashmar is also a superb accompanist, his harp on ‘Lizzy Mae’ generating the clarity and tone of Little Walter’s early Muddy recordings, spicing it with a swamp blues feel – Jimmy Rogers meets Lightnin’ Slim – perfectly complementing Abu Talib’s brooding, downhome vocals and guitar. His soulful accompaniment to Arthur Adams on ‘Knock’em Dead’ is another demonstration of the breadth of his talent.

The laconic swing of ‘Who’, the harp-fest ‘Runnin’ Off At The Mouth’, and the 50’s R&B groves of ‘We’re Sittin’ Home Tonight’ are further highlights of a set that comes unreservedly recommended.